During the final years of the 1980s, I was beginning a budget travel adventure to Europe with a travel partner. Because my companion was exploring starting a postgraduate program in New York, we had booked a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We reached the postgrad residence, a large ten-floor structure on the UWS known as International House. Setting down our luggage, we headed straight to the dining hall, where we grabbed food, found a table, and engaged in conversation with people eating there.
Sitting next to me was an Iraqi man studying engineering at an Ivy League institution. He wanted to know what I did for a living, and I explained that I had recently completed my studies with a degree in science and had been performing experiments using an electron microscope.
He pointed out that there was an research lab at Columbia University – close to the engineering department, which was the reason he was familiar with it. He proposed that I should apply for a role with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was about to fly to Europe and, more critically, I lacked a US visa.
The next day I went out exploring, coming back to the dining hall that evening. The engineering student came up to me and told me that he had organized a discussion for me with the head of the electron microscope unit at Columbia. Given that he had taken the effort, I attended the interview – but immediately informed my prospective employer that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was unable to accept the role.
In typical New York fashion – a place where anything feels possible – she said: “That can be arranged. How soon can you begin?” I never got on that flight to London.
I held that position for three years. One of the benefits was that I got no-cost classes at Columbia, and I seized the chance to finish a postgrad program in international relations.
We didn't cross paths after that and I can't recall his identity, but his incredible act of kindness transformed my future in numerous aspects. I lacked the confidence or nerve to contact anyone at an prestigious college and request employment. Additionally, I had always wanted to take classes in another country, but wouldn't have been able to pay for it without that educational benefit.
Critically, that job in New York paved the way for a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four wonderful sons and daughters. That encounter altered everything. That kind stranger set me on a different course in life, and I’m forever grateful.
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